The present invention relates to an improved multipoint communication system for patient monitoring; more particularly, to an improved system for address assignment of various plug in patient monitoring modules in such a multipoint communication system.
Today's medical patient monitoring systems require: flexibility in the number of physiological parameters to be monitored; addition and removal of monitoring means for such parameters without causing interruption of other monitoring functions; flexibility with respect to the location of the data acquisition hardware, and cost. In addition, it is essential that future capabilities be easily integrated into the framework of the monitor system.
One approach to realizing this flexibility is through a modularized patient monitoring system. In such a system monitors are reconfigurable to monitor different combinations of patient parameters through the use of plug in modules. Each plug-in module acquires the data to be monitored such as pressure, temperature, ECG, etc., digitizes it, processes it and prepares it for transmission to a master processor within the monitor or monitoring system for display etc. In addition, the overall monitoring system may include many monitors for a number of patients, each monitor reconfigurable with a plurality of plug-in modules. The monitors and plug-in modules within an overall critical care or intensive care unit of a hospital may be coupled together for monitoring and control by a central station by a communication system such as a multipoint communication system.
In such a system such as that described above, where modules may be moved from one location within one monitor to a module location within a different monitor increased flexibility in the manner of assigning addresses to such modules and monitors for connection to the communication system are desirable.